Politics & Government
Trump Hints Chicago Could Be 'Training Ground' For Military
Gov. JB Pritzker rebuked the comments made during an address of senior military leaders, comparing President Trump to Vladimir Putin.
CHICAGO — During a speech to top military leaders earlier this week, President Donald Trump once again targeted Chicago — along with some other major U.S. cities — hinting they could become "training grounds" for the military.
"San Francisco. Chicago. New York. Los Angeles. They're very unsafe places, and we're going to straighten them out one by one," Trump said Tuesday at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Quantico, Virginia. "It's a war too. It's a war from within. I told [U.S. Defense Secretary] Pete [Hegseth] we should use some of these dangerous cities as training grounds for our military."
In response, Gov. JB Pritzker said the 25th Amendment should be used to remove Trump from office, while also comparing him to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
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"It appears that Donald Trump not only has dementia set in, but he's copying the tactics of Vladimir Putin," Pritzker said. "Sending troops into cities, thinking that that's some sort of proving ground for war, or that indeed there's some sort of internal war going on in the United States is just, frankly, inane, and I'm concerned for his health."
The 25th Amendment to the United States Constitution addresses issues related to presidential succession and disability.
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Over the weekend, we received reports of federal agents from ICE and Customs abusing their power. And now, we're being told the Trump Administration wants to deploy 100 military troops to Illinois. One thing is clear — none of this is making Illinois safer. pic.twitter.com/375l0tEuYh
— Governor JB Pritzker (@GovPritzker) September 29, 2025
On Sunday, federal immigration agents marched into downtown Chicago and have been spotted arresting people across various neighborhoods. During an interview with a local media outlet, Gregory Bovino, chief patrol agent of the U.S. Border Patrol's El Centro Sector, said people are being arrested based on "how they look," among other factors.
Pritzker said Monday that the Department of Homeland Security sent a memo to the U.S. Department of Defense, which is being referred to as the Department of War by the Trump administration, seeking the deployment of 100 military troops to Illinois "for the protection of ICE personnel and facilities." ICE launched the Chicago area operation — known as "Operation Midway Blitz" — on Sept. 8.
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